Pages

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Toronto events - Winter-late spring 2016

This is an update of this post, and where I will focus my attention for the first half of 2016. I'll mostly only include Toronto and GTA events and discuss the ones I am likely to see. If I put a date in parentheses, it is my reminder to myself when I am targeting to go. I'll get around to filling in links later on.

Jan 2016 Three Men in a Boat (Toronto Winter Fringe) -- I think I will pass on seeing this a second time, but I would encourage others to go.

Jan 24 Amici Beethoven concert

Jan 2016 (Jan 31) Exiles by James Joyce (Red Sandcastle) This has decidedly mixed reviews (as a play, not this specific production), but I am curious and it is quite close.

In early to mid Jan., there is also Red Light Winter, a somewhat challenging play about two men and the prostitute they meet and fall for in Amsterdam. Just like Exiles it is a love triangle play, but I am not quite as interested -- and it is playing very far from my house -- and it is a long cold ride on the streetcar. So I'll probably pass, but never say never. [Actually I did make it out.]

Feb 2016 (Feb 13) Les Belles Soeurs by Tremblay (Peterborough) I just found out
about this show (which is the last major Tremblay play I am really
itching to see), and it is more or less in my backyard, and there is not
that much going on in February. So fingers crossed that the weather is
cooperative and I can rent a car and drive out or worst case take the
bus. Actually, it is good that I checked, since they changed the dates on me. I can make it to the matinee on Feb. 13, so am still leaning toward going.

February 2016 The Cherry Orchard by Chekhov (Chekov Collective) I'm kind of torn. I saw an awfully good production of this maybe 5 years back at Steppenwolf in Chicago. The reviews are a bit mixed for this one (here and here), but both reviewers agree this isn't quite as good as their Seagull from last year. I'm probably going to pass, especially as there do not appear to be any discounted tickets at TO.Tix.

early March (March 5) Boeing Boeing by Marc Camoletti Hart House (Toronto) A bit
of a trifle, but I'd much rather see this at student production rates
than the quite pricey tickets for the Vancouver production last year.

early March (March 6) Port Authority by Conor McPherson (Fly on the Wall @ Campbell House Museum)

March 11-12 Beowulf reading (Toronto Consort)

mid March (March 10) A Man Vanishes (Videofag) This could be interesting. I'm appreciative of the fact that they do name-check Shohei Imamura's film of the same name. While I definitely have trouble watching films (as opposed to going to theatre), I would make sure to watch the film first in this case. I might have trouble seeing this, as I am traveling a lot in March, but I'll look in to see if they take reservations.

mid-late March (March 23) The Public Servant (Canadian Stage) This could be a sleeper hit, so I just got my ticket. (It is possible that it was more of a hit in Ottawa, since the whole city essentially works for the federal govt. It might not seem quite so relevant here.) There is even a discount code -- EARLYBIRD -- though I don't know how long it will work, or for that matter if I am supposed to publicize it. I'll take it down upon request.

mid March-April The Crowd by George F. Walker (Studio 58 at Langara
College, Vancouver). When does George Walker ever rest? He's had
something like 4 new plays produced in the last 2 years. I've managed
to catch 3 of them (and am now kicking myself for not going to see more
of the Suburban Motel series when I had the chance). This is the 4th --
a world premiere at Langara College,
just down the street from where we used to live. I suspect it will
make it over to Toronto fairly soon, but I should be doing some work in
Vancouver in 2016, and if there is travel involved, I'll see if I can
arrange it so I fly out towards the end of March. (I did just find out that he is doing some winter play for next year, most likely at Evergreen Brick Works, so that's something to console me a bit if I can't swing a business trip out to Vancouver in early April.)

March 31, 2016 Esprit Orchestra, Koerner Hall (Toronto) Milhaud La
Création du Monde. I just learned about this, and think I will go to it
rather than the Amici version, though both will surely be interesting.
I've probably heard Milhaud's piece live before, but it would take a
lot of searching to confirm.

April (April 9) Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar (Mirvish) This is just about the
only thing I am likely to see at Mirvish this next season. I'm just not
a fan of the type of show they bring in to town.

April (April 22) The Beaux Stratagem by George Farquhar (George Brown @
Soulpepper). I did consider checking this out at Stratford in
2014, though that year I went to Lear and Lear only. It will be good
to see a second time, particularly at the slightly lower rates of a
student production. Though what I am really hoping to see (and George
Brown is probably the most likely to put it on) is Ben Jonson's
Bartholomew Fair. The most recent time this has been fully staged in
Toronto is 2009. I'm also hoping they do some of the Thomas Middleton
plays I've not seen produced.

mid May Tales of Two Cities concert by Tafelmusik

May 24 TorQ Percussion Quartet -- probably will not make it (esp. if I go to the Tafelmusik concert), but I'll consider it more seriously closer to the time

May 25 Kronos Quartet w/ Tanya Tagaq Koerner Hall (Toronto) This is very exciting news. I believe it has been many years since Kronos Quartet performed in Toronto, so I suspect this is going to sell out.

June Instructions to any Future Socialist Government Proposing to Abolish
Christmas, Coal Mine (Toronto) I'll have to see exactly what this is
about, but it sounds at first glance like something I would like.

At the moment, I am only planning on seeing John Gabriel Borkman at Stratford, though I may change my mind and go see All My Sons as well. Unless I catch a ride with someone, I am probably not going to go down to Shaw this summer.

Most companies have not really gotten around to putting their fall seasons together, though increasingly they do lock up rights six months or more in advance, so you sometimes find out about things early if you know where to look. I have to say I was just not at all interested in Tarragon this season, though I will probably see a Tennessee Williams play in their Workspace in February and perhaps Richard III up there in March. However, in the fall they should be putting on The Realistic Joneses by Will Eno, and this looks like something that I would be likely to see.